The 2026 Boston Marathoner with Vitiligo Who Wants You To Feel Seen

Brit Williams never imagined she would get vitiligo. She never imagined it would spread all over her body. She also never imagined that this shocking diagnosis would be the connection point for her to run the Boston Marathon in 2026, a dream of hers as an avid runner. 

Brit’s vitiligo first appeared after the birth of her firstborn 13 years ago. As her vitiligo spread, she started following the work of Dr. John Harris, a top vitiligo researcher and dermatologist based in Boston. She even reached out to him at one point to get his opinion about a potential treatment.

Fast forward to 2025: she finishes her first 70.3 Ironman race. In a moment of triumph, she raises her arms as she crosses the finish line, exposing the vitiligo under her arms. Her daughter, watching proudly from the sidelines, captured the moment on camera.

Brit decided to share the picture with Dr. Harris with the idea of running to raise money for vitiligo—and he connected her with the Mass General Marathon team, which participates in the Boston Marathon to raise awareness for its charities. While there wasn’t an approved charity supporting vitiligo, she was able to pick Home Base, a charity supporting veterans, in honor of her brother who had served in the Special Forces for nearly 20 years.

Now, Brit is running the Boston Marathon with two goals at heart. Not only will she be raising money for veterans, but she’s excited to create representation for vitiligo as she races in a venue she never thought would be possible.

“Even though I can’t raise money for vitiligo, I feel like it’s still important to have visibility,” shared Brit. “There’s a little girl at my daughter’s school who has [vitiligo.] I will intentionally put my hair up in a pony tail to show off my stark white armpits because I want her to know that I have it too. Just to be like, ‘I see you. We are not alone. I have it too.’ I very much want for those younger than me to know, hey, me too and you’re going to be okay.”

That’s right. Brit wants you to see her vitiligo when she races this spring. Because she’s that kind of person—the one who is willing to show her skin so that you can feel seen too. 

If you’re watching the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2026, be sure to look for her. She’ll be the woman with vitiligo in a Mass General jersey. And you better believe she’ll be raising her hands as she crosses that finish line, proudly showing off her spots.

Want to take it even further? Consider supporting Brit’s fundraising efforts.

Interview with Boston Marathoner Brit Williams

Living Dappled Founder Erika Page interviewed Brit Williams about her experience with vitiligo, her connection to vitiligo researcher Dr. John Harris and the opportunity to run the Boston Marathon. This interview has been edited for flow, clarity, and brevity.

Name: Brit Williams
Age: 44
Hometown: Austin, TX
Years with Vitiligo: 13

Living Dappled (LD): Let’s get into it. Your vitiligo journey began over a decade ago. Tell us how it all started for you.

Brit Williams (BW): So I had a baby, and a pretty traumatic birth, and then I had my first spots appear after that. I thought they were stretch marks, but my OB was like, “No, it’s what Michael Jackson has. It’s called vitiligo.” And I was like, “Oh, okay.” I didn’t know anything about it. Then of course it started spreading. I’ve had it for about 13 years now. I have it on my face, under my arms, my private areas, and a little bit on my feet and hands.

LD: You’re also an avid runner, swimmer, and cyclist—all areas where your skin can be very visible. What is that like for you?

BW: Yeah. I live in Texas. It is hot. I wear tank tops all the time, and I swim laps. I’m kind of like, this is what I got. I think people are going to look or people are going to double take. I even noticed that this morning. I was like putting my hair up into a hat and I saw someone do a double take. And I’m like,  “Yeah, it looks funny.” But I also don’t feel like I have to explain it.

I do feel instantly connected to people that have it. I do a lot of my long runs down at Town Lake in downtown Austin. There’s a big 10-mile loop. And I always see someone with vitiligo when I run. I have the same friend that I run with all the time, and someone will either pass us or we’ll pass someone, and I’ll be like, “They have it on their leg.” I’m just so in tune with it. 

LD: Let’s talk about your biggest race to date—and the photo that came after it that really became this moment for you to share your story in a new way.

BW: Yes. I just really love running, and racing especially. You know, everyone is out there doing a hard thing together. There’s something really life-giving about races and even starting small and slow. I’ve done a lot of half marathons, but then I did a full and got into the New York City Marathon. But I had always wanted to do a half Ironman and I finally did this past October.

As I crossed the finish line, I raised my hands and my daughter took a picture and you could see the vitiligo under my arms. I don’t normally raise my arms like that. I think I just felt so proud of finishing the half Ironman. It was really, really hot that day. I had a pretty great race, and these big races are such a celebration of humanity. You see all these people out there who either have hard things happening or have fought hard things, but they’re all out there doing it. It’s inspiring.

My daughter took this photo—she took some pictures at the finish line. And then I shared my story on social media with this picture of my arms showing my vitiligo when I started to fundraise for Boston. It’s definitely not something I’ve shared on social media before. I think only people close to me know about my vitiligo. But I did it and it was so freeing. All of these people reached out to me.

I am just so blown away by having put this out there, and all the love and support I’ve felt and seen. It’s connected me with several people that I thought I didn’t have as much in common with. Sometimes there is strength in sharing.

LD: And sometimes sharing is the gift that keeps on giving. You shared that photo with Dr. John Harris at Mass General. Tell us about your relationship with him and what happened next.

BW: So I had started following Dr. John Harris, a dermatologist and vitiligo researcher, earlier in my journey with vitiligo. He had answered some questions for me and I’m just so grateful that there is someone who is committed to making life better for those with vitiligo. His heart’s in it, and his mind’s in it. So I’m just rooting for him and would love to see there be a cure in our life.

Anyway, I sent that picture of me crossing the line at the half Ironman to Dr. Harris. I said, you know, it would be so fun to run and raise money for vitiligo research. He’s now the Chair of Dermatology at Mass General Brigham, so he connected me with the Mass General Marathon team, which participates in the Boston Marathon to raise awareness for its charities.

And if you aren’t familiar, the Boston Marathon has two different tracks. You can qualify, but it’s gotten really hard to qualify. Even if you apply with a qualifying time, there may be people with faster qualifying times and you still may not get a spot in the race. That’s where the charity component comes in. The Boston Marathon has a charity program with all these different charities. You can apply to a registered charity partner and commit to a fundraising minimum.

Nothing happened for a while and I kind of thought nothing would really come of it. Then someone reached out from Boston Marathon Charities and was like, “Hey, do you want to schedule a phone call?” And so we had a phone call and basically she said I could run the Boston Marathon through the charities program, but I had to choose from specific charities. Unfortunately, they didn’t have one for vitiligo with Mass General, but it is an incredible institution that not only provides exceptional medical care but also invests in groundbreaking research and innovative programs that help countless individuals. I was able to pick HomeBase, a charity supporting veterans, in honor of my brother who served in the Special Forces for nearly 20 years—which feels really special.

LD: And how’s your fundraising going so far?

BW: I’m like 80% fundraised right now. You have to raise $10,000 for your charity. When you get chosen, you start fundraising and can back out at any time before the end of the year. After December 31, you’re on the hook for the entire $10,000, though. So I set my fundraising countdown clock to the end of the year and I’ll see where I am. I have just $2,000 more to go. So I’m hopeful.

LD: You never thought you would run the Boston Marathon—this is big for you.

BW: Yes. I’m super excited. I’m like, “Wow.” I just never in my life thought I would run the Boston Marathon, because I’m not super fast. I’m kind of a medium runner. And I sort of thought the New York City Marathon would be the only world major that I would ever run.

My husband and I went to Boston on our honeymoon. It’s just crazy to be back there almost 20 years later. We’re going to go to a Red Sox game and see the area again while we’re there. This is maybe the best thing that vitiligo has ever gotten me, you know, to be able to do. I just never thought that there would be a neat story about how my vitiligo got me here.

LD: And while you’ll be fundraising for an amazing charity supporting veterans, you still have a lot of heart for the representation you’ll bring to vitiligo simply by participating in the Boston Marathon. Tell us more about that.

BW: Yeah, even though I can’t raise money for vitiligo, I feel like it’s still important to have visibility. A couple of years ago, Adidas did an ad with someone with vitiligo and I just emailed them to say thank you. It means something to see that. The same thing with Outdoor Voices. They had a model that had vitiligo. And I just always am grateful for that. It’s more and more that we’re seeing vitiligo in recent years. It makes me feel seen, you know. Just to be like, “Yeah, that person’s out there running in Adidas and they’ve got it, too.”

I always think about younger people with vitiligo especially. I didn’t have it when I was younger, and I don’t know if my kids will have it or not, but I’m 44 and I’ve been married almost 20 years. I got it a lot later in life so I feel like I have a little bit of a different journey with the whole thing.

So when I see people younger than me with vitiligo, I feel motivated to show my skin. There’s a little girl at my daughter’s school that has it. She’s probably in fourth grade and has vitiligo on her knees. I will intentionally put my hair up in a pony tail to show off my stark white armpits because I want her to know that I have it too. Just to be like, “I see you. We are not alone. I have it too.” I very much want for those younger than me to know, hey, me too and you’re going to be okay. 

LD: Thanks so much for sharing that with us. We know where you’ll be on April 20, 2026, and we’ll be cheering for you.

BW: Yeah, thanks so much!